Featured

N. Barnes

Heavy

By:
Kiese Laymon

Narrated by:
Kiese Laymon

Length: 6 hrs and 17 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,756

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
1,636

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,628

Kiese Laymon is a fearless writer. In his essays, personal stories combine with piercing intellect to reflect both on the state of American society and on his experiences with abuse, which conjure conflicted feelings of shame, joy, confusion, and humiliation. Laymon invites us to consider the consequences of growing up in a nation wholly obsessed with progress yet wholly disinterested in the messy work of reckoning with where we’ve been.

5 out of 5 stars

Be prepared

Every American should read this

Overall

5 out of 5 stars

Performance

5 out of 5 stars

Story

5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 03-16-19

I am so impressed with Kiese Laymon's honesty, ability to be vulnerable, skill with words, and strength of spirit. As a white American woman I learned a whole lot about racism and white supremacy from this book and I am very grateful for the lesson. I know he wrote it for his people, for his mother and for himself, but I really believe that every person in the US should read it.

The Fire Next Time

By:
James Baldwin

Narrated by:
Jesse L. Martin

Length: 2 hrs and 25 mins

Unabridged

Overall

5 out of 5 stars
3,564

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
3,143

Story

5 out of 5 stars
3,116

At once a powerful evocation of his early life in Harlem and a disturbing examination of the consequences of racial injustice to both the individual and the body politic, James Baldwin galvanized the nation in the early days of the civil rights movement with this eloquent manifesto.
The Fire Next Time stands as one of the essential works of our literature.

Brilliant and Sadly Relevant

James Baldwin at his best

James Baldwin was one of the best thinkers and writers in US history, and the narrator does an excellent job retaining the intellectual force and emotional power of Baldwin's writing.

Barracoon

The Story of the Last "Black Cargo"

By:
Zora Neale Hurston

Narrated by:
Robin Miles

Length: 3 hrs and 50 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,555

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,411

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,404

In 1927, Zora Neale Hurston went to Plateau, Alabama, just outside Mobile, to interview 86-year-old Cudjo Lewis. Of the millions of men, women, and children transported from Africa to America as slaves, Cudjo was then the only person alive to tell the story of this integral part of the nation's history. Hurston was there to record Cudjo's firsthand account of the raid that led to his capture and bondage 50 years after the Atlantic slave trade was outlawed in the United States. In 1931, Hurston returned to Plateau, the African-centric community three miles from Mobile.

Crucial slice of history

Fascinating true story with a stunning performance. Much of the Introduction can be skipped unless you are very interested in the life and work of Hurston.

Becoming

By:
Michelle Obama

Narrated by:
Michelle Obama

Length: 19 hrs and 3 mins

Unabridged

Overall

5 out of 5 stars
74,802

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
68,178

Story

5 out of 5 stars
67,792

In her memoir, a work of deep reflection and mesmerizing storytelling, Michelle Obama invites listeners into her world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped her - from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work to her time spent at the world's most famous address. With unerring honesty and lively wit, she describes her triumphs and her disappointments, both public and private, telling her full story as she has lived it - in her own words and on her own terms.

Didn't know what I was getting into

Absolutely beautiful

I always liked Michelle Obama, but now I love her! She is brilliant, humble, thoughtful and generous with her time and attention. I wish she liked politics and could run for POTUS!

Girls & Boys

By:
Dennis Kelly

Narrated by:
Carey Mulligan

Length: 1 hr and 46 mins

Original Recording

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
9,558

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
8,956

Story

4 out of 5 stars
8,898

A pulse-pounding new play from Tony Award-winning® playwright Dennis Kelly takes you on a journey that is at once hilarious, gripping, and heartbreaking. This world-premiere production starring Carey Mulligan (The Great Gatsby, An Education) is available exclusively on Audible after a celebrated run at the Royal Court Theatre in London and off-Broadway at the Minetta Lane Theatre.

5 out of 5 stars

I have never heard a story performed so well.

Shocking but beautiful.

Overall

5 out of 5 stars

Performance

5 out of 5 stars

Story

5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 12-14-18

Terribly shocking but also beautiful and thought provoking. Carey Mulligan does an amazing job with this rather difficult genre (monologue play as an audio book). The playwrite's take at the end is also quite interesting.

0 of 1 people found this review helpful

The Marshmallow Test

Mastering Self-Control

By:
Walter Mischel

Narrated by:
Alan Alda

Length: 7 hrs and 54 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
1,389

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,239

Story

4 out of 5 stars
1,230

In
The Marshmallow Test, Mischel explains how self-control can be mastered and applied to challenges in everyday life - from weight control to quitting smoking, overcoming heartbreak, making major decisions, and planning for retirement. With profound implications for the choices we make in parenting, education, public policy and self-care,
The Marshmallow Test will change the way you think about who we are and what we can be.

Fascinating science in an enjoyable format

I have long known about the marshmallow test but not Mischel's life's work or how it can help me to achieve my goals. I am grateful for the information!

Strong Ending

A Journey from Combat to Comedy

By:
Audible Originals

Narrated by:
Mary-Louise Parker

Length: 1 hr and 16 mins

Original Recording

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
6,573

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
5,897

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
5,883

It’s always hard to make the crowd laugh - especially when joking about war, PTSD, and mental health. Strong Ending follows three military veterans as they attempt to turn their most painful stories into laughs by participating in a stand-up comedy boot camp. After joining the military, deploying to combat zones, and coming home fundamentally changed, Michael Garvey, Isaura Ramirez, and Patrick Harth challenge themselves to share their stories on stage and perform original stand up-comedy about their experiences for a packed house.

Uplifting program

Inspiring story with good editing and powerful vignettes of courageous military veterans Thank you Audible Originals!

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Feeding the Dragon

By:
Sharon Washington

Narrated by:
Sharon Washington

Length: 1 hr and 17 mins

Original Recording

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
8,079

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
7,470

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
7,440

Sharon Washington’s autobiographical one-woman play, Feeding the Dragon, delighted audiences off-Broadway and is now available exclusively on Audible. The one-act play invites listeners into Sharon’s unorthodox childhood, growing up in an apartment on the top floor of the St. Agnes Branch of the New York Public Library, where her father served as the building’s custodian. A love of literature and boundless imagination helped the playwright as a young woman persevere over dragons of all forms.

Gorgeous story and moving performances

Washington's story is both unique and common to many African Americans. It is therefore a perfect story, performed from the heart.

The Center Cannot Hold

By:
Elyn R. Saks

Narrated by:
Alma Cuervo

Length: 12 hrs and 10 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
786

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
581

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
590

Professor of psychiatry Elyn R. Saks writes about her struggle with schizophrenia in this unflinching account of her mental illness. In
The Center Cannot Hold, Saks draws readers into a nightmare world of medications, a misguided health-care system, and social stigmas. But she would not be defeated. With a strength and force of will that most can only imagine, Saks reclaimed her life and went on to achieve great success.

Schizophrenia Inside Out

Wonderful book, fantastic narrator, bad editing

Overall

4 out of 5 stars

Performance

5 out of 5 stars

Story

5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 05-07-18

This story is very engaging (though to be honest it could have been edited down quite a bit in my opinion) and I really love the narrator Alma Cuervo, but the editing is very annoying - micro-second breaks between chapters so you have no time to absorb the last major event before being hurtled into the next.

Elevating Child Care

A Guide to Respectful Parenting

By:
Janet Lansbury

Narrated by:
Janet Lansbury

Length: 3 hrs and 30 mins

Unabridged

Overall

5 out of 5 stars
676

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
570

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
556

Janet Lansbury's advice on respectful parenting is quoted and shared by millions of listeners worldwide. Inspired by the pioneering parenting philosophy of her friend and mentor, Magda Gerber, Janet's influential voice encourages parents and child-care professionals to perceive babies as unique, capable human beings with natural abilities to learn without being taught; to develop motor and cognitive skills; communicate; face age appropriate struggles; initiate and direct independent play for extended periods; and much more.